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THE 

ART OF SECURING BETTER 

TEACHING POSITIONS 

A HANDBOOK FOR TEACHERS 



BY 

ELBRIDGE B. LINCOLN 

Formerly Secretary of The Eastern Teachers' Agency 



THE PROGRESS CLUB 

50 BROMFIELD STREET 

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 






Copyright, 1910 
Elbridge B. Lincoln 



Thomas Todd Co. 

printers 

14 Beacon Street 

Boston 



12681 &€ 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. The Teaching Outlook 5 

II. The Successful Teacher 17 

III. The Equipment of a Successful Teacher . . 24 

IV. How to Make Effective Personal or Written 

Applications 34 

V. How to Secure a School without the Help of 

an Agency .46 

VI. How Teachers' Agencies Help Their Members . 53 

VII. How to Get Best Results from Membership in 

a Teachers' Agency 59 

VIII. The Private School Proposition . . . . 69 

IX. The Young College Graduate's Own Chapter . 74 

X. How to Avoid and How to Adjust Commission 

Complications . . . . . . .77 

XI. When Should Teachers Change Their Positions ? 87 



CHAPTER I 

THE TEACHING OUTLOOK 

One morning the postman delivered the following 
letter: 

Gentlemen : 

I have been a professor of experience for 
twelve years. Will you kindly tell me what is 
the opportunity for professing in Porto Rico? 

Little did I suppose when I opened this letter that it 
would ever be made the text of a book for teachers; 
but the thoughts which prompted the writing of the 
letter, viz., what is the opportunity for teaching, what 
chances are there for me, how can I succeed in secur- 
ing a good position, are, indeed, in every teacher's 
mind, although they may not be expressed so uniquely. 
Whether the professor later embarked for the island, 
there to "profess" in the noble art of bootblacking 
or in the more humble duties of the schoolroom, as 
the case may be, and whether he there accumulated 
wealth and fame are matters which are shrouded in 
as much mystery as is the solution of the problem 
presented in the closing paragraph of Mr. Stockton's 
famous novel. 1 

I do not claim to know much about school condi- 
tions in Porto Rico, but I have given considerable 

a "The Lady or the Tiger." Frank R. Stockton. Charles 
Scribner's Sons. 



6 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

study to those prevailing in the United States, espe- 
cially in New England, and it is with the thought 
of helping teachers to secure positions in this more 
limited field that I have undertaken the preparation 
of this little volume, hoping that something of value 
will be found in it both to the new teacher and to 
those already holding positions but desiring better 
ones. 

Now no profession in the world is more noble 
than that of teaching, none requires more earnest 
thought and training, and yet it is too often made 
merely an avocation, a stepping-stone, a means of 
earning money for the study of law or medicine, or, 
in the case of women teachers, a pleasant occupation 
until they get married. This does not mean that it 
is not perfectly right for a woman to become a teacher, 
even though she expects to remain in the schoolroom 
only a few years ; but in all fairness to her pupils she 
should as thoroughly prepare herself as though she 
were planning to make teaching her life work. Nor 
does the fact that a man expects later to enter another 
profession necessarily prevent him from making a 
good teacher; and certainly the experience gained in 
the schoolroom often proves of inestimable value in 
after life. But the fact still remains that one has no 
right to teach who does not feel the sacredness of the 
trust enough to make as adequate preparation as his 
or her time and means will allow. 

The first thing to be considered in entering the 
profession of teaching is one's fitness for the work. 
In these days of scientific investigation of social prob- 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 7 

lems it is becoming more generally recognized that 
failure is less often caused by lack of ability than by 
engaging in an occupation for which one is not fitted. 
Want of appreciation of what a particular business 
or profession demands from those who enter it is 
responsible for a deal of regret and discontent. 

It is undoubtedly true that in the life of every one,, 
up to a certain point, chance seems to rule. But there 
comes a time when we begin to think for ourselves; 
and if this awakening is not delayed too long, it is 
possible to shape the after life in accordance with 
a fixed plan. 1 

We are living in an age of progress. A few 
years ago only the city man had his telephone; now 
the country farmer has not only his 'phone but his 
auto, and next year he will have his aeroplane. The 
thrifty housewife no longer plies the broom, but 
pumps out the dust with a "vacuum cleaner"; and 
in all lines of business new methods are being inau- 
gurated. Nor is the change confined to mercantile 
lines; in medicine and in surgery many cherished 
theories have been overturned. 

So in the teaching field we find a marked change 
in conditions. Formerly in our country districts each 
little hamlet had its own school, where the teacher, 
receiving from four to six dollars a week, taught five 

*A very suggestive and inspiring book on the subject of 
choosing one's life work has recently been published and should 
be on every teacher's desk. Not only will it help her to improve 
her own plan of life, but it will be of infinite help in assist- 
ing her to guide her pupils into the occupations for which Nature 
fitted them. "Choosing a Vocation," by Frank Parsons. $1.00. 
Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. 



8 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 



or six pupils. Today, instead of maintaining innumer- 
able petty schools, the pupils are transported to one 
central school, which makes it possible to pay the 
teacher more salary and consequently to get one 
better fitted for the work. Then, too, the employing 
of superintendents who are trained educators and to 
whom is given the selection of teachers tends to raise 
the standard of requirements, as insistence is more 
and more being placed upon special training. Nothing 
indicates this change more than the statistics of the 
departments of education of the several states. Take, 
for example, Massachusetts. 

In 1888 the number of teachers required in the 
public schools of that state was 8,559, of which num- 
ber only 2,677, or 3 1 P er cent, were normal grad- 
uates. In 1898 the number of teachers required was 
11,678, of which 4,428, or about 38 per cent, were 
normal graduates. In 1908 the number required was 
14,781, but of these 7,448, or over one-half, were 
normal graduates. 

The same conditions prevail in Rhode Island. A letter 
just received from the Commissioner of Education of 
that state gives the following figures : 



Year 


Total number 
teachers 


College training 


Normal or 
special training 


1894 
1899 
1904 
1909 


i»554 
i»9i3 
2,055 
2,294 


95 
217 
246 
326 


558 
905 

I.I37 
1,373 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 9 

This value of special training for grade work is 
brought out most strongly in a communication from 
the Commissioner of Connecticut, who says : 

"Some towns refuse to consider teachers unless 
they are normal graduates. I do not know of any 
towns that accept unconditionally college graduates 
for the schools below the high school. My opinion 
is that training is more and more becoming a condi- 
tion of employment. College graduates without train- 
ing are no better than high school graduates without 
training." 

These facts indicate the condition which is becoming 
more and more general, viz., that special preparation 
is as necessary for a teacher as for a physician or 
surgeon, and while it will undoubtedly always be true 
that school positions can be secured without the teach- 
er's having special training, and even in some cases 
where she is not as well posted as some of her older 
pupils, yet to neglect to provide herself with this 
special training is deliberately to close the door of 
opportunity to the best places. The fact that one's 
grandmother was a successful teacher without ever 
seeing a normal school does not prove that her de- 
scendants are likely to attain success with only a high 
school training, for much is required of a teacher 
today which was never thought of in her time. 

After due consideration has been given to the 
subject of choosing a vocation, and the young high 
school graduate has decided that she is by nature 
fitted for the profession of teaching, that it is the one 
thing above all others which she prefers to do, not 



10 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

because she thinks the hours are easy, a steady income 
assured, the actual working year short and the vaca- 
tion season long, but because she really loves the work 
and means to give it her best efforts and highest ideals, 
two important questions present themselves: how best 
to fit herself properly for her work, and how to secure 
a good school. Both questions call for careful con- 
sideration on the part of any one thinking of becom- 
ing a teacher. Nor are they separate and distinct 
questions, for they are closely allied one to the other, 
the matter of training determining in great measure 
the kind of school for which one will afterwards be 
eligible. 

In his report, the Commissioner of Education of 
the United States points out the fact of the constantly 
decreasing number of men teachers in our schools. 
In 1880, in the schools of this country, 42.8 per cent 
of the teachers were men. In 1890 this was reduced 
to 34.5 per cent, in 1900 to 29.9 per cent; while the 
1909 report states that of 495,463 teachers only 
104,495, or 2I - 1 P er cent, were men. This means 
that, taken as a whole, there are less than half as many 
men teachers today as there were thirty years ago. 
But if we take some of the individual states we shall 
find the ratio of men to women still smaller. New 
Hampshire reports 95 per cent of her teaching force 
to be women. There is, therefore, no question of the 
fact that in the teaching profession women are in 
the great majority; and since in our good land it is 
the majority which rules, "vox populi, vox Dei," we 
shall in the following chapters use the feminine per- 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS II 

sonal pronouns, with the understanding that, accord- 
ing to the orthography of a certain college graduate, 
they will also include the "masculine sect." 

It is pleasing to note that the salaries of teachers 
are increasing. In Massachusetts the average salary in 
1888 was $119.34 for men and $44.88 for women. 
In 1898 this had increased to $137.41 for men and 
$51.44 for women. In 1908 the average salary for 
men was $155.95, while the salary for women teachers 
had increased to $59.58; and taking the country as a 
whole, the increase during this period has been from 
$42.43 to $62.35 for men, and from $34.27 to $51.61 
for women. A table, compiled from the 1909 report 
of the Commissioner of Education of the United 
States, giving the number of men and women teachers 
and the average salaries in the different states, will 
be found on following pages. 

Another cause of congratulation is the broadening 
of the teaching field, and the indications are that 
during the next decade it will be still further extended. 

The growth of Correspondence Schools, the methods 
of which have been demonstrated as pedagogically 
sound when rightly conducted, not only offers an 
opportunity to earnest men and women to supplement 
lack of training without the necessity of giving up 
positions to attend school, but also offers employment 
outside of their school duties to a limited number of 
teachers, to whom is intrusted the task of correcting 
the papers which the students send in. 

The kindergarten movement, another phase of 
what our forefathers would call our "new-fangled" 



12 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 



State 


Number 
of male 
teachers 


Number 
of female 
teachers 


Average 
monthly sal- 
ary of male 

teachers 


Average 
monthly sal- 
ary of female 

teachers 


Alabama .... 


2,740 


5. 0I 7 


#44-65 


#38.49 


Arizona .... 


109 


536 


99-5° 


75.06 


Arkansas . . . 


3>963 


4.334 


53-oo 


41.OO 


California . . . 


1.376 


8,846 


114.48 


77.02 


Colorado .... 


796 


4.495 


80.65 


60.03 


Connecticut . . 


3 2 9 


4,696 


115.07 


50.50 


Delaware . . . 


156 


741 


72.82 


34.70 


Dist. of Columbia 


196 


1.387 


92.27 


92.27 


Florida .... 


835 


2,762 


58.95 


40.35 


Georgia .... 


2,860 


8,036 


• • 


• • 


Idaho. 


47i 


1,581 


85-59 


60.89 


Illinois .... 


5»4i 1 


23,113 


82.12 


60.76 


Indiana .... 


6,147 


10,524 


62.60 


55.80 


Iowa 


3.009 


24,941 


66.01 


44.20 


Kansas .... 


2,465 


10,520 


55-Q2 


45-17 


Kentucky . . . 


3.6i9 


6,190 


• • 




Louisiana . . . 


1,521 


5.445 


66.13 


45.81 


Maine 


700 


6,179 


39-84 


30.68 


Maryland . . . 


880 


4.477 


• • 


• • 


Massachusetts . 


1,281 


13,497 


155-95 


59.58 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 



13 



State 


Number 
of male 
teachers 


Number 
of female 
teachers 


Average 
monthly sal- 
ary of male 

teachers 


Average 
monthly sal- 
ary of female 

teachers 


Michigan .... 


2,433 


14,974 


£7I-52 


£48.58 


Minnesota . . . 


i>577 


12,853 


74-30 


45-23 


Mississippi . . . 


3,i48 


6,298 


• • 


• • 


Missouri .... 


4,840 


13,158 


57.78 


51-45 


Montana .... 


221 


1,086 


99.OO 


60.OO 


Nebraska . . . 


1,242 


9,"3 


69.51 


49-33 


Nevada .... 


43 


371 


122.02 


77.00 


New Hampshire 


2 55 


2,744 


4I.83 


36.OI 


New Jersey . . 


1,106 


9,173 


• • 


• • 


New Mexico . . 


422 


643 


52-05 


51.58 


New York . . . 


4,996 


37,592 


• • 


• • 


North Carolina . 


3,U9 


7,43! 


• • 


- • 


North Dakota . 


1,166 


5,198 


53-92 


45.68 


Ohio 


8,267 


18,688 


67.00 


52.50 


Oklahoma . . . 


1,237 


7,499 


57-83 


49.22 


Oregon .... 


783 


3,46o 


65.64 


50.16 


Pennsylvania . . 


7,488 


26,525 


61.23 


46.85 


Rhode Island . . 


195 


2,119 


126.09 


59-54 


South Carolina . 


2,562 


3,874 


• • 


• • 


South Dakota . 


950 


4,605 


67.71 


47.27 



14 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 



State 


Number 
of male 
teachers 


Number 
of female 
teachers 


Average 
monthly sal- 
ary of male 

teachers 


Average 
monthly sal- 
ary of female 

teachers 


Tennessee . . . 

Texas 

Utah 

Vermont .... 
Virginia .... 
Washington . . 
West Virginia . 
Wisconsin . . . 
Wyoming . . . 


3,682 
6,054 

544 
354 
1,863 
1,382 
3,836 
i,75i 
ii5 


6,323 
12,956 
1,562 
3,56l 
7,965 
5,142 

4,446 

12,908 

784 


#59.60 

77-3 2 

43-40 
45.70 
75-65 

95-33 
85.26 


*5M5 
53.60 
32.02 
34-96 
58.99 

50.23 
53-o5 



education, offers opportunity for a good many teach- 
ers, but not so many as one might at first suppose, 
for there are a great many towns which do not have 
this grade at all. Probably no line of teaching is 
more attractive to a young woman who loves chil- 
dren, but hates to discipline, than the kindergarten 
grade. Little children are always attractive and are 
easier to handle than when they grow older. But 
too often the graduate from a kindergarten training 
school, being unable to secure a kindergarten school, 
finds she has not the right training for a position as 
a first grade teacher; so that about the only thing 
she can do is to go into an ungraded school and get 
some experience, after which she may develop into 
a good first or second grade teacher. 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 1 5 

But the establishment of what are called voca- 
tional schools will be the feature in our educational 
system which will receive most attention during the 
next few years. When our high schools and acad- 
emies were established in the early days of our 
country, they were designed to prepare boys for 
college, usually with the expectation that most of 
them would ultimately study for the ministry ; and 
it was long before educators began to recognize the 
fact that a college education is not the Ultima Thule, 
and that the province of our schools should be to 
prepare pupils for better self-support and citizenship 
rather than to force them to acquire a knowledge of 
the classics. But the tide has turned. Starting with 
the large high schools, commercial courses designed 
for those students who were not planning to go to 
college were introduced. These fitted for mercantile 
lines, the study of bookkeeping, stenography, and 
commercial geography taking the place of Latin and 
Greek. Then the smaller high schools took up the 
movement, which has kept on growing until today 
there is a splendid field for teachers of commercial 
subjects. 

From the establishment of these commercial 
courses, designed to fit young men and women for 
employment in offices, the next logical step is to 
establish schools to fit them for other means of live- 
lihood. Already there are some seventeen such schools 
in Massachusetts, some of them day schools, but the 
majority evening schools. Pupils enter these after 
leaving the grammar schools. The teachers in these 



l6 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

trade schools, besides giving instruction in the Eng- 
lish branches, give special training in technical sub- 
jects, such training consisting of practical demon- 
stration and bench practice, together with sufficient 
theory to enable the pupils to become good artisans 
or mechanics. This field is new. The other states 
have not begun to enter it yet, but sooner or later 
they will have to come to it. Here, then, is a new 
opportunity for teachers, for the vocational schools 
call for men who can do things and can tell others 
how to do them. But such men are hard to find, for 
as they are teachers they should be men of sterling 
character, with a good command of the English 
language, with patience and tact to instruct, as well 
as skill in working with their hands. The fact that 
such men are scarce means that the salaries will range 
about $200 a year more than is paid men in regular 
high school work; just the same as today commercial 
teachers command higher salaries than regular high 
school teachers. 

No special mention need be made of teachers of 
music, drawing, cooking, physical culture, manual 
training, etc., except to point out the fact that inas- 
much as one teacher of any of these special subjects 
can supervise a good many rooms, it follows that 
the openings in these lines can never be as numerous 
as those in regular grade work. 

Thus in making a resume of the teaching field we 
find these significant facts: the number of teachers 
is increasing, the percentage of men teachers is de- 
creasing, the average salaries are increasing, and new 
and promising fields of work are about to open up. 



CHAPTER II 

THE SUCCESSFUL TEACHER 

What is a successful teacher? If this question 
is asked a clergyman, he will tell you one thing; if 
asked a teachers' agency manager, he will give a 
different answer ; but the difference will be due entirely 
to the two viewpoints of those interrogated. Both 
definitions will be right. Just now it is the business 
side of a teacher's career that we are considering, 
so it is of this only that we shall speak. 

A successful teacher is one who has advanced 
steadily from less to more responsible positions in a 
limited number of years until she has reached the 
maximum salary for teachers of that grade with similar 
training and teaching experience. This is, of course, 
a purely mercenary definition, and leaves out of sight 
the ethical phase of success in teaching, viz., the value 
of the teacher's influence for good, the awakening of 
ambition in the minds of her pupils, and the inculca- 
tion of higher standards in the community. So great, 
however, is the value of work along these lines that 
no teacher, however seemingly unsuccessful from a 
business standpoint, who has done this in even a small 
degree should count her work a failure. 

But whether viewed from the ethical or business 
standpoint, success is dependent on the same funda- 
mental principles. In all walks of life love is the 

17 



l8 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

strongest incentive force in successful men and women. 
It may be the love of gain, of power, of overcoming 
obstacles, of accumulating wealth for those dear to 
them, or of making the world better because they 
have lived in it. 

So with the teacher. She must love her work. 
More than this, she should enjoy it. A moment's 
thought will show that it is possible to love an occu- 
pation because of what it brings, while all the time 
we dislike the constraints which this same occupation 
entails. It makes little difference to one who employs 
an artisan whether he enjoys his work or not. It 
makes a world of difference to the scholars, however, 
whether their teacher, despite her high ideals and 
broader love for her work, enjoys the details of school 
administration. I would not emphasize this so strongly 
were there not other callings fully as lucrative as 
teaching to which a young woman with high ideals 
may devote her life. 

In our definition of a successful teacher we spoke 
of her as "reaching the maximum salary in a limited 
number of years." This may seem like putting undue 
restriction on the definition of success until one real- 
izes how much harder it is to adapt oneself to new 
conditions as one grows older. So that it is extremely 
unwise for any teacher after graduating from normal 
school or college to remain long in a small or out-of- 
the-way school. It is not so much a matter of salary, 
for such schools sometimes pay good salaries, but 
because methods of discipline in small schools vary 
greatly from those in large schools ; so much so, in 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 19 

fact, that a teacher in changing from one of these 
small schools to a larger one often fails simply because 
she does not realize in season that the new situation 
calls for different methods. In her small school she 
knew each pupil intimately; in the large school she 
may be brought in contact with a hundred or more 
different pupils, only a few of whom come directly 
under her supervision except at recitation periods. 
Then, again, the fact that she is willing to stay in the 
small school, even though the net salary may be more 
than she would get in the city school, is likely to be 
construed by a superintendent as evidence of lack of 
ambition. 

It is well, therefore, for every teacher to realize 
that in approximately five years after graduating from 
normal school, or eight or ten years after graduating 
from college, she will be as good a teacher as she is 
likely ever to be, and consequently that she should 
then be earning a good salary if she ever expects to 
have it. 

Perhaps the best way of explaining what I mean 
is to outline the first few years of the teaching career 
of what might be considered an average teacher. 

MEN TEACHERS 

NORMAL GRADUATES 

First Year Principal of small grammar school or 

submaster in larger grammar school. 
Salary $600 to $900. 

Second to Third Increase in salary or better school. 
Years 



20 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 



Fourth to Tenth Same kind of position. Salary $800 to 

Years $1,500. 



First Year 



Second to Third 
Years 

Fourth to Sixth 
Years 

Seventh to Tenth 
Years 



COLLEGE GRADUATES 

Principal of small high school or assist- 
ant in larger high school. Salary $600 
to $1,000. 

Increase in salary or better school. 

Better position either as submaster or 
principal. Salary $1,000 to $1,500. 

Principalship at salary of from $1,200 
upward. 



WOMEN TEACHERS 

COLLEGE GRADUATES IN HIGH SCHOOL WORK 

First Year Assistant in small high school. Many 

subjects to teach. Salary $400 to $500. 

Second Year Increase in salary or better position. 

Salary $500 to $600. 

Third to Fifth Larger school. One or two subjects. 

Years Salary $500 to $700. 

Sixth to Tenth Increase in salary or better school. 

Years Salary from $800 to $1,200, according 

to ability. 



NORMAL OR TRAINING SCHOOL GRADUATES 

First Year School of one, two, or three grades. 

Salary $400 to $450. 

Second Year Increased salary or better school. 

Third to Fourth One grade. Salary $500 to $600. 

Years 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 21 

Fifth to Seventh One grade. Salary $550 to $700 or more, 
Years according to ability. 

TEACHERS WITH ONLY HIGH SCHOOL TRAINING 

First Year Country or district school. From three 

to eight or ten grades to teach. Weekly 
wages $6 to $8. 

Second to Third Same kind of school, with better wages. 
Years 

Fourth to Fifth Better or larger school of the same kind, 

Years wages $10 to $12 a week; or graded 

school, salary $400 to $500. 

Fifth to Seventh Better graded school at better salary if 
Years exceptional ability is shown. 

As these outlines are intended merely to be sug- 
gestive, there will be found many cases where teachers 
will be earning good salaries much sooner than is 
indicated on the above schedule; and there will be 
other cases where the reverse will be true. Also the 
fact that salaries in general are increasing means that 
the figures given will necessarily need revision in a 
few years; but they are sufficiently accurate at the 
present time to enable any one to see what the possi- 
bilities are in the way of promotion. Whether a 
teacher ultimately reaches the maximum salary is, how- 
ever, dependent upon her natural ability and earning 
capacity. 

Having denned and explained what a successful 
teacher is from a business standpoint, it may be help- 
ful to enumerate from this same standpoint some very 
common causes of failure to make good in one's first 



22 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

school. Of course nothing need be said when the 
failure is due to lack of proper training; but even 
with adequate training a teacher sometimes fails be- 
cause she is unable to understand the feelings of the 
community and to adapt herself to a sphere of life 
differing from that in which she was brought up. 
Conditions in country society are often very different 
from those prevailing in the city; and a girl, coming 
to a country school and failing to get into the spirit 
of the place, may unconsciously do many things to 
engender ill will or jealousy. But when once she has 
obtained the good will of the little community in which 
she teaches, she will find the people as worthy of 
respect as any in her native city. 

But lack of ability to discipline is the most potent 
cause of failure. Modes of discipline differ from 
those in vogue when our grandmothers taught school. 
More and more school boards are forbidding corporal 
punishment, which makes it harder for the teacher in 
many cases to obtain order. When this power to con- 
trol without the use of the rod is gained, however, it 
proves that the teacher is an excellent disciplinarian. 
But can this power be acquired, and if so, how ? I do 
not wish to pose as an authority on the subject of 
discipline, nor is this book intended to do more than 
help teachers in securing positions ; but superintend- 
ents lay so much stress on the teacher's disciplinary 
power that I would like to state a few of the causes 
which, in my judgment, lead to poor discipline, because 
a little attention on the part of the teacher could easily 
remove them. The first cause is lack of ventilation in 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 23 

schoolrooms. No one can do his best work in a room 
where the air is bad. Time and again, however, I 
have visited schools where after coming in from the 
purer air of the street I could hardly breathe because 
of the closeness of the room. The teacher, however, 
intent on her work, seemed oblivious to the condition 
of the atmosphere, and wondered why the little ones 
were restless. Another cause of restlessness, and 
hence of poor discipline, is the fact that children can- 
not stand being kept in one position for any length 
of time; their muscles get cramped and they feel 
uncomfortable all over. Let a teacher from time 
to time open the windows and give the class a few 
simple physical exercises and discipline will run much 
smoother. A third cause of uneasiness is often not 
as apparent, but it is none the less real, namely, the 
fact that little ones coming to school from a distance, 
or from poor homes, get hungry. Now when even 
teachers at conventions find difficulty in listening to 
the speakers when they feel half starved, how can 
one expect good order and attention from a child 
who is faint or hungry? How this matter can be 
remedied, whether by encouraging the bringing of 
luncheons by the pupils or the furnishing of same 
by the teacher, is a matter for the teacher to decide; 
but if hunger is a cause of undermining discipline, 
the up-to-date teacher must find some way to remove 
it. 



CHAPTER III 

THE EQUIPMENT OF A SUCCESSFUL TEACHER 

Any woman expecting to teach should realize 
that the moment she applies for a school she becomes 
as it were a merchant. It is true that what she has 
to sell: training, experience, personality, etc., are in- 
tangible things, but they are none the less real; and 
as the successful merchant must study his market, 
choose and arrange his goods to suit the tastes of his 
customers, so the teacher must use judgment in refer- 
ence to the kind of training, experience, and person- 
ality which she acquires if she would attain the highest 
measure of success. 

In entering any line of business one of the first 
things is to ascertain the condition of the market. 
Take a simple illustration from the poultry business. 
In New York State the preference is for white-shelled 
eggs, while Bostonians prefer an egg with a brown 
shell. Therefore the shrewd poultryman would set 
aside his own personal preferences in catering to his 
trade and select those breeds which produce eggs 
popular in his locality. So a young woman, before 
preparing herself to teach, should ascertain if possible 
the kind of training which will give her the greatest 
chance of winning out in the competition she is bound 
to meet as soon as she enters the field as a candidate 
for a school. 

24 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 



25 



In a previous chapter we have shown the increas- 
ing demand for normal and college trained men and 
women in the public schools, so we are right in assum- 
ing that it will be more and more difficult as time 
goes on for even a good teacher without normal 
training to secure the best positions. Already school 
boards, through efforts brought to bear by the super- 
intendents, are refusing to elect to grade positions 
new teachers who are not normal or college grad- 
uates. Furthermore, there seems to be a growing 
tendency among superintendents to look for normal 
graduates who have also had college training. 

Right here may be as good a place as any to 
suggest the possible lines of study which it would be 
well for one to consider who is planning to become 
a teacher. 



College or University- 
Course. 

College course followed 
by one year supplementary 
work at Normal School. 

Full Normal Course. 

Course at Training 
School. 



Course at Business 
College. 



Fits especially for High School 
work. 

Gives a college degree and normal 
certificate, and fits for either 
High School or Grade work. 

Fits for Grade work only. 

Fits for Grade work, but is not 
considered as good preparation 
as a normal course. 

Fits for teaching Commercial 
Subjects, but should be preceded 
by successful teaching experience, 
or by a college, normal, or train- 
ing school course; preferably by 
both experience and college train- 
ing. 



26 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

After a woman has begun to teach it is harder 
and harder for her to go back to normal school, but 
there are courses which can be taken during the 
summer at many of the normal schools and colleges. 
Besides this, certain correspondence schools offer 
courses which will be found very helpful, although 
such courses cannot be considered equivalent to resi- 
dent study at a normal school. 1 

At first it may seem that as long as a teacher has 
the training it makes no difference how she acquires 
it. For example, suppose a student enters one of our 
universities, spends four years as a special student, 
and makes such progress that at the end of this time 
she acquires even more knowledge than the regular 
students ; if she lacks her college degree she will 
always be handicapped in getting new positions. 
Thus a teacher should see to it that her education 
is not only thorough, but that it does not lack "talk- 
ing points." Even the school at which one fits for 
college often has an important bearing on the matter. 

But even though a teacher has the best training 
in the world, but has not a pleasing personality, it 
will always be hard for her to secure new positions; 
while, on the other hand, if she has a good person- 
ality and makes a good appearance she may be 
selected in preference to other candidates with better 
training and more experience. This does not mean 
that a superintendent selects a teacher merely because 
of his own preference, but because he realizes what 
a power for good is a pleasing personality. Children 

1 The Home Correspondence School, Springfield, Mass. 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 27 

instinctively know whether a teacher is a sham, or is 
at heart in sympathy with them. 

A pleasing personality is somewhat like a problem 
in mathematics which can be solved in several differ- 
ent ways and the same answer obtained. That is, 
personal beauty, a pleasing voice, intellectual attain- 
ments, may each tend to make a personality that is 
pleasing; but when one studies deeper into the matter 
one discovers that the keynote of a personality of 
this kind is adaptability. And if this is true, then 
any one can attain a personality that is pleasing, 
although to some it will come much easier than to 
others, just as some persons can learn mathematics 
more readily than can others. Any one, however, 
under the instruction of a good teacher, can learn 
mathematics, because he will be made to appreciate 
the relation which numbers, letters, or lines, as the 
case may be, bear to one another. As soon as this 
relationship is understood, the subject comes out of 
the fog and is seen in its true perspective. To illus- 
trate. A freshman in Wellesley once came to me at 
the close of a term for tutoring in solid geometry. 
She had finished the term's work and was to be 
examined after the vacation. At our first lesson T 
tried to discover where her difficulties lay, so that, 
starting from something she knew thoroughly, we 
could build up a structure that would stand the test. 
After quizzing her for some time imagine my sur- 
prise to discover that her failure to understand the 
subject was all caused by her lack of training .in 
drawing. To her cubes, cones, cylinders, etc., when 



28 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

drawn on paper, did not seem to stand out as solid 
things, but appeared merely as so many lines cross- 
ing each other. Everything appeared flat. Not until 
I had given her a lesson on perspective did she learn 
to see these drawings as solid figures. But once 
having grasped the idea she had little difficulty in 
understanding the subject. 

So in the matter of acquiring a pleasing person- 
ality. It is all in the trick of grasping the true 
relationship of things. Some persons may do this 
more readily than others, may do it instinctively, just 
as some persons naturally take to mathematics ; but 
once a person can see things from the standpoint of 
some particular person he can, if he chooses, acquire 
a personality which will be pleasing to that person. 
And if he can do this in one case, he can do it in 
others ; for all he has to do is to extend his field of 
vision and see things from the standpoints of many 
other persons and adapt himself accordingly. No 
teacher who is earnest and uses her God-given powers 
of common sense and good judgment need lack in 
attaining a pleasing personality. There is positively 
no question about this. Of course it requires thought, 
patience, and will power; but any one lacking any 
of these qualities is certainly not fitted by tempera- 
ment for the profession of teaching. We are separate 
and distinct individuals, and as such we naturally 
differ one from the other. To improve our person- 
ality does not mean to change our individuality, but 
merely to modify the expression of this individuality 
so that it will not jar upon the individuality of others. 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 29 

To do this we not only must feel a kindly consider- 
ation for others, but its expression must take a form 
which cannot be misunderstood. The act and the 
thought which prompts the act must be in harmony, 
Take a simple example : Two persons attempt to enter- 
tain a gathering of friends by playing a selection 
upon the cornet. One is without training, the other 
is a skilled musician. The instrument is in each case 
the same, but what a difference in the tone and how 
different the effect on the listeners ! Where is the 
trouble? Not with the instrument; surely not with 
the purpose of the players. So in the attainment of 
a pleasing personality; not only should one have kind 
intentions, earnestness, and enthusiasm, but one should 
learn to express these in a way that will be pleasing. 
Fortunate indeed is the teacher who has a friend 
willing to help her along this line. 

Closely allied to personality is the matter of dress. 
Sometimes, indeed, it carries more weight even than 
training and experience. It is such a power for good 
or harm in determining the decision of superintend- 
ents that no teacher can afford to neglect this part 
of her equipment. All that is needed is a little time, 
thought, and attention to details and artistic effects. 
Why any one should wear an unbecoming hat, tie, or 
garment when the same money would purchase an 
attractive article is a question which has only one 
answer. Improvement in dress means a gain in power, 
for, as one writer has aptly expressed it, " Next to the 
hope of heaven is the feeling that one is well dressed." 
There are today teachers who would be earning from 



30 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

$50 to $400 a year more if they would give this 
matter the attention it deserves. Many times I have 
seen an untidy dress or a pair of soiled or ripped 
gloves prejudice a candidate in the mind of the inter- 
viewing superintendent. Some persons, too, have 
slight physical defects which certain styles of dress 
intensify, while others conceal or modify. A striking 
illustration of this occurred in the case of a bright 
young college graduate who was trying for her first 
school. This young lady was afflicted with a slight 
nervous tremor. It did not, however, prevent her 
from taking her college course and graduating with 
honors. She realized, however, that it handicapped 
her in applying for schools, yet she wished to teach 
and decided to try for positions. I recall well the 
morning she had her first interview with a superin- 
tendent at our office, for at the close of the interview 
he called me aside and suggested that I advise her in 
the future to remove her hat when she met superin- 
tendents. It seems that she wore a hat trimmed with 
cherries, and the slight tremor caused these ornaments 
to vibrate upon their elastic stems with a rhythmic 
motion which resulted in so hypnotizing the superin- 
tendent that he could not remove his gaze from the 
hat, nor could he fix his attention on what she was 
saying, so persistently did the little round balls bob 
themselves into his consciousness. 

In the equipment of a teacher we have thus far 
spoken of training, personality, and appearance, but 
have said nothing about experience, nor shall we need 
to say much about this, for it is something which 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 3 1 

time and opportunity will give. It remains, however, 
for the teacher to obtain a school where her experience 
will prove most valuable to her as a stepping-stone 
to better positions. This matter of location is very- 
important, but quite often it is made subservient to 
the question of salary. It is the position and not the 
weekly wage that should be the main object, for the 
wage will ultimately take care of itself. Obviously, 
when a teacher spends several years in a school small 
in numbers, not under good supervision, and in such 
an out of the way place that she cannot easily be 
visited, she cannot expect her work and ability to 
bring her as many opportunities as if she taught in a 
school under trained supervisors and easy of access 
to visiting superintendents. More and more superin- 
tendents demand to see teachers at their work, but it 
is extremely hard to get a superintendent to visit a 
teacher located in some remote town when there are 
other candidates in schools easily accessible. 

Another important item in the equipment of a 
teacher is confidence in her own ability. Too often 
a candidate for a position feels afraid of her rivals. 
There is really no need to fear any superintendent, 
and as for rivals, it is quite likely they feel equally 
afraid. To think of your own inefficiency is all wrong. 
Convince yourself that you are equal to the situation ; 
say to yourself, "I can and I will succeed." Other 
people accept us largely on our own valuation. Set 
this valuation high and then live up to it. Nothing 
succeeds like success, and a part of success is to feel 
that you will succeed. A great deal is made now of 



32 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

the power of auto-suggestion, and no one needs this 
more than the woman who is candidating for a school. 
If you do not believe this is true, try it, and you will 
see how much stronger an impression you will make 
when you go to an interview if you are convinced 
that you are the one and the only one for the position. 

And last, but not by any means least, a teacher 
needs health. She needs it even more than she needs 
knowledge. I mean by this that no matter how well 
trained a teacher may be, if she lacks health she is 
inferior to a healthy teacher with less training. For 
this reason she should be careful to take sufficient 
exercise and recreation, and above all she should shun 
Worry, which, like that old enemy to success, Pro- 
crastination, has wrecked so many bright prospects. 
Tennis, golf, tramping, skating, and social entertain- 
ment will sweep with the magic of the old woman's 
broom the "cobwebs" from the brain, and make life 
once more worth the living. 

Before closing this chapter I want earnestly to 
warn teachers against resigning before they secure 
other positions, as to do so almost always has the 
effect of impairing the value of their equipment. Just 
as soon as one resigns one's position it becomes much 
harder to get another. This is true in all lines of 
business. The moment a person is unemployed, expla- 
nations have to be made. Superintendents want to 
know why a teacher gave up her school, and if this 
was done before she received her reelection there is 
always the possibility of doubt arising as to whether 
she would have been reelected had she remained. But 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 33 

if, on the other hand, she receives her reappointment, 
it is prima facie evidence that she gave satisfaction. 
Besides this, the fact that a teacher is without a posi- 
tion creates a feeling of insecurity which has the effect 
of diminishing her own confidence. But if she does 
not resign until she gets a better position she will not 
be forced to take a school no better than the one in 
which she is then teaching, nor be placed in a situation 
where the superintendent can expect to get her at the 
minimum price because she is out of work. 



CHAPTER IV 

HOW TO MAKE SUCCESSFUL PERSONAL OR WRITTEN 
APPLICATIONS 

"Ask and it shall be given you." No truer words 
were ever spoken. Except in rare instances, in order 
to secure a school an application must be made to the 
proper school authorities. Whether this is made by- 
letter, or through a third person, or by the personal 
application of the candidate herself, its object is the 
same, viz., to make such a favorable impression upon 
the minds of the superintendent and school board 
as to secure the election. Whichever way the appli- 
cation is made does not affect the number of rival 
candidates for the position. If the place is a good 
one, there will be enough competition to satisfy the 
fighting instincts of any rational being. It is neces- 
sary, therefore, for the teacher to marshal and 
arrange her forces with the strategy of a general 
on the field of battle; training, experience, person- 
ality, and appearance, each must be made to act its 
respective part most effectively. Unexpected com- 
plications may arise which tact can turn to advantage ; 
want of tact will render success impossible. 

One of the most striking examples of a display 
of tact in applying for a school happened several 
years ago when the writer was connected with a 
prominent teachers' agency. The call came for 
a teacher of a special high school subject. It stated 

34 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 35 

that an experienced teacher was required. Our best 
candidate was a young woman just graduated from 
college, thoroughly conversant with the subject, but 
entirely lacking in teaching experience. Two things, 
however, made me decide to present her as a candi- 
date : her training and the fact that all her references 
spoke of her as possessing great tact. Accordingly 
I wrote and informed her of the opening, caution- 
ing her on no account to make her application by 
letter, for if she did it would surely be turned down, 
but to make a personal call upon the superintendent. 
Then I waited results with considerable solicitude, 
for it was taking a long chance. But I soon dis- 
covered that I had no need for worry, for her refer- 
ences had spoken the truth when they said she 
possessed great tact. Contrary to my instructions 
she wrote the superintendent that she was coming 
to see him to make a personal application for the 
position; but she took care to mail the letter so that 
it could by no possibility reach him before she would 
be on her way to the town where he lived. She 
dressed herself in a becoming outing suit, and when 
she reached his office she entered it with the deter- 
mination to get the place. On account of her letter 
the superintendent expected her, but he tried to scare 
her by stating that the position required an experi- 
enced teacher, that all the other teachers in the school 
were experienced, that he had already had some fifty 
applicants for the place who were experienced teachers. 
But it didn't work. She wouldn't be scared. She felt 
that she knew her subject and had confidence that she 



36 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

could teach it. Every reason which the superintendent 
advanced to prove to her that she was not fitted for 
the place she used in such a way as to show that that 
was one of the very reasons why she could make good. 
For instance, when the statement was made that the 
teacher of that subject had been a particularly strong 
one, she said that this made it all the better for her, 
for the work was all planned out and all she would 
have to do would be to follow in the same path. Thus, 
in one way or another, she turned every objection to 
her own advantage, and she did it in such a tactful 
way that she finally impressed the superintendent so 
favorably that he allowed her to call upon the differ- 
ent members of the school board. But even after she 
had done this and made them feel that she was a 
bright young woman and would make a good teacher, 
it still seemed as though she would not win out. 
However, to make a long story short, the position 
was finally offered her, although there were some 
seventy-five teachers in the race before it was settled. 
In the instance given above the teacher won out 
because she convinced the committee that she was 
equal to the situation, that she possessed ability, that 
she would be equal to any emergency that was likely 
to come up. In other words she impressed them with 
her power. And in every case it is this impression 
of power which a candidate should aim to give. It 
makes no difference whether she meets superintend- 
ents at the instigation of some agency or through 
her own initiative. At the interview she should by 
manner, words, and credentials convince them of her 
ability. 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 37 

Before suggesting how a teacher can give this 
impression of power, it is well to call attention to the 
fact that power is of at least two kinds: the power 
which comes with physique and health, and that other 
kind of power which is so hard to define but which 
is the result of confidence in one's own ability. One 
teacher may say, "John, if you do that again I shall 
punish you." But in a few days John may be caught 
doing the forbidden thing again. Whether he receives 
the punishment or not is immaterial. The warning 
was not heeded. Another teacher may say, "John, I 
would not do that again." The tone in which the 
words are spoken may be low, but there is something 
in the eye of the second teacher which commands 
respect, and the offense is not repeated. 

Undoubtedly avoirdupois is a tremendous asset. 
The large policeman's order to "move on" is more 
willingly obeyed than that of his less ponderous com- 
rade in service. But it is, after all, that other kind 
of power which makes the strongest impression; the 
power whose existence is impressed on the superin- 
tendent by inference and suggestion rather than by 
direct statement. It is the power that comes from 
enthusiasm, from a feeling of having ability, of real- 
izing that other teachers with the same or less training 
have won out under similar conditions. Above all, it 
is not wise to be too anxious for a position ; or rather 
it is never wise to let a superintendent feel that you 
are afraid of not being elected. 

Being careful to come to an interview fresh rather 
than tired, to come equipped with letters of recom- 



38 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

mendation, to be dressed appropriately and becom- 
ingly, and above all to come without hesitation and 
fear, are precautions based on simple common sense. 

One other suggestion. Meet appointments on time. 
If the interview is at an agency it is well to bring 
some interesting book to read, for the chances are 
that the superintendent will be late. To sit about 
doing nothing is more fatiguing than to work. So 
come prepared with something interesting to do. It 
may be all right for a superintendent to be two hours 
late, but the teacher should always be on time; and 
if, for any reason, she is delayed or thinks she may be 
delayed, she should, if possible, telephone stating this 
fact. It's the little things that count. Don't neglect 
these little things. 

So much for the personal application; a word 
now about applications by letter. 

A good rule in writing such letters is to have 
clearly in mind the facts that you would want a 
candidate to state in her letter of application if you 
were the superintendent; then word your letter, not 
so that it will be odd, but, at the same time, so that 
it will stand out above all the other letters that the 
superintendent receives. Speak of your training, 
your experience, and if you are athletic, or took spe- 
cial gymnastic work in school or college, mention 
the fact. If you are never sick you might men- 
tion this fact. But do not make the letter too long. 
One sheet should be enough. Then, too, if there 
are misspelled words or mistakes in grammar it is 
obvious that the candidate cannot be classed among 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 39 

those qualified to fill the requirements of a teacher's 
position. 

With the first letter to a superintendent it is well 
to inclose a small photograph. A copy in miniature 
of one of your best photographs can be struck off at 
a trifling expense, or a kodak picture can be used if 
it is a good one; a poor photograph is worse than 
none. Select one which gives the impression of alert- 
ness, power, snap. A good way is to fasten the 
unmounted photograph to the letter by a clip or by 
a drop of mucilage, so that as the letter is read by 
the recipient he is, as it were, in conversation with 
the writer. Of course the first page of a letter is the 
best one to use for this purpose. 

It is indeed an art to write a good letter, but it 
is something worth acquiring, and in the business 
world a person who can write letters that win can 
command a large salary. It is needless to suggest 
that it is customary to inclose a self-addressed enve- 
lope, properly stamped, although in many cases even 
this will not bring an answer. When it is remem- 
bered that a letter is but a means of impressing the 
personality of the writer on the mind of the superin- 
tendent or chairman of the board, it will be needless 
to caution the candidate to use judgment in the com- 
position of her letters. Even the kind of paper used 
helps to fix the impression of culture or rusticity. 
Care should be taken to have the penmanship legible. 
If the teacher is fortunate or unfortunate enough to 
own a typewriter, she should not only learn how to 
use it so as to turn out a good-looking letter, but she 



40 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

should see to it that the machine itself is in compara- 
tively good alignment. 

In the commercial world it is a mark of a good 
salesman never to leave a prospect so that he cannot 
call again. He may not sell any goods at the first 
visit, but he should never accept a "no" as final. He 
should be sure to leave the latchstring out so that 
he can call at some future time if it should seem 
advisable to do so. There is always a possibility of 
a letter going astray, so that in case a reply is not 
received within a reasonable time, as is more than 
likely to be the case, there is ample excuse for writing 
a second letter. But in writing any letter, with a little 
care it can be so worded as to make another letter 
possible without giving offense. 

There is an interesting little game which is some- 
times played with children with the aim of making 
them self-reliant. It is called Supposing, and is played 
as follows. A situation calling for immediate action 
is described, and the child is asked what he would do. 
For example, this description is given. "Suppose 
sometime when you are alone in the house you heard 
a great noise like running water, and when you went 
up to the bathroom you found that some one had 
turned on the water and forgot to turn it off and it 
was running over the sides of the tub, and when you 
went to shut it off the faucet should break. What 
would you do?" It is a simple little game, but one 
that makes a person think and helps prepare him for 
emergencies. Well, let us try this same game now. 
Let us suppose that we are superintendents and the 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 41 

mail brings us the following bunch of letters from 
teachers who want to be considered candidates for 
positions in our schools. Question, which applicants 
will stand the best chance of receiving favorable 
consideration, and why? In giving these letters, all 
proper names have been omitted, because they are real 
letters, written to real superintendents by real teachers 
who wanted positions. 

Dear Sir: 

I should like to put my name among your candi- 
dates for vacancies this coming Fall. I have had 
two years' experience, and at present I am teaching 
grades 7, 8, and 9 here, where I have been since the 
beginning of the school year. I am a graduate of the 

English High School, and took a special course 

in English at college. I also took a course in English 
at the Harvard Summer School. I make English a 
specialty and prefer the higher grades to the lower. 

My references are as follows : Names and addresses 
of three persons follow. If you care to see me I 
shall be in Boston on Saturday, June 1 and could 

go to if you wished to see me there. 

Respectfully yours, 



My dear Sir: — 

If you have vacancies on your list of teachers for 
the coming year, will you please consider me an 
applicant? 

Have graduated from high school and normal 
school and taught in ungraded school one year and 
third grade two years. 

As to my success refer to or come and visit 

my school. 

Yours respectfully, 



42 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

Dear Sir: — 
As I wish to apply for a position as teacher in the 

High School, I am sending in convenient form, 

a statement of my qualifications for that position. I 
have had such splendid success in an unusually hard 
position that I wish to urge you very earnestly to 
write to my references, even if you have no vacancy 
just now. Since I am very sure that you would like 
my personal appearance I shall be very glad to visit 
you at your request. I am very anxious to secure 
a position in a high school of admitted excellence near 

and accordingly I should regard it as a favor, if 

you would even look into my claims for consideration. 
Hoping you will be so kind as to answer my letter, 
I am, 

Respectfully yours, 



Accompanying this letter is a neat, typewritten 
sheet giving the applicant's training, experience, spe- 
cialties, success in discipline, personal data, and refer- 
ences. The letter itself is written by hand, as are all 
the other letters. 

Dear Mr. 

I have just learned that there is a probability of a 

vacancy in the mathematics department of the 

High School, and if such is the case I should like to 
be considered a candidate for the position. I am 

twenty-six years old, a graduate of the Classical 

High School, and of College, magna cum laude. 

Mathematics is one of the subjects in which I spe- 
cialized in college and which I have most enjoyed 
teaching. I have had about three year's experience 
in public school teaching. I enclose a copy of a letter 
from the first principal under whom I taught, and for 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 43 

further information in regard to my work I refer 
you to (three references follow) where I am now 
teaching. 

I shall be very glad to go to for a personal 

interview if you will be good enough to give me an 

opportunity any time after Tuesday noon, . 

Respectfully yours, 



Dear Sir: — 

I have just graduated from College this June 

and am looking for a position as a high school teacher. 
Will you please tell me if there are any vacant posi- 
tions in your high school? 

Yours truly, 



Dear Sir: — 

Am attending University and would like a 

position as teacher in one of your evening schools. 

Am a graduate of High School and have taught 

four years in the elementary grades of that town. 
Can give you references. Hoping to hear from you 
soon, I remain, 

Yours sincerely, 



Dear Sir: — 

I have heard of a vacancy in the third grade of 

the School, and I would appreciate your 

considering me an applicant. 

I am twenty-one years old and am of English de- 
scent. I am a regular attendant, although not a 
member of the Congregational Church. 

I was graduated from the High School in 

and attended College . Besides academic 

work I have had training in vocal, piano and violin. 



44 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

Last year I taught the first four grades (primary) 

in and since September I have been 

teaching in the Grammar School, grades five and 

six. 

For testimonials I can refer you to the following 
gentlemen: (Four references). I have no testimonials 
in my possession at present but will write to the 
above mentioned if you can wait. 

Yours respectfully, 



As a teacher will write practically the same thing 
each time she makes an application, it will pay her to 
compose a " model letter " which can be modified to 
suit special cases. After composing such a letter it is 
a good plan to lay it aside for a few days and then to 
submit it to careful criticism and revision. In this way 
incongruities may be discovered and corrected. If the 
teachers who wrote the letters from which the follow- 
ing extracts have been taken had done this, their ap- 
plications would have been pruned of some of their 
humorous foliage. 

I am unmarried, but would readily marry if you 
so advised before coming on. 

I can read and speak Spanish, French, German, 
Latin, Greek, English, and five Indian languages. 
I have lived among twenty tribes of Indians. I am 
a natural musician and perform upon quite a number 
of musical instruments. I am a Christian and a 
Moralist. I am a strong believer in sound morals. 
... I shall remain in anticipating suspense until you 
reply to me. 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 45 

I shall send you my photograph in the course of 
a few weeks. Three months of camp life has lessened 
my weight considerable, so I will wait a month before 
having my likeness taken. My personal appearance is 
fair I am rather short, 5 ft. 5 in., Chest measure 
38, hat band 7^4 inches. I have an iron constitution 
and live a strictly temperate life. 

I am perfectly willing and qualified to teach any- 
thing but principally scientific subjects. 
And Oblige, 

Yours truly, 



CHAPTER V 

HOW TO SECURE A SCHOOL WITHOUT THE HELP 
OF AN AGENCY 

This subject will appeal especially to those persons 
who feel that teachers' agencies are robbers, that no 
position is worth five per cent of a year's salary, that 
all an agency really does is to send the teacher a 
notice that a vacancy exists, and, well, you know how 
some teachers feel about it. Neither am I going to 
try to disabuse any one of this opinion, for the old 
saying, "A woman convinced against her will is of 
the same opinion still," is as true today as ever it was. 

In another chapter we shall speak of agencies and 
the work they are doing, but in this we shall describe 
how to go to work to get a position by one's own 
efforts. 

Teachers' agencies, of course, get hold of most of 
the good vacancies and present their candidates for 
the positions, but it does not necessarily follow that 
they learn of all of the openings, nor that a teacher 
cannot secure a school without their help. Occasion- 
ally, too, there are school officials who do not like to 
deal with agencies, although such cases are becoming 
less and less frequent. 

Positions which may be applied for without the 
help of a teachers' agency may be divided into two 
classes : present and future vacancies. The first should 

46 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 47 

be applied for in the same way as if the opening was 
learned through an agency notification. That is, the 
teacher should immediately make an application in 
person or by letter, preferably the former. But as 
in this case she has not the help of the agency in send- 
ing copies of her papers to the superintendent, it is 
more necessary for her to send copies of recommenda- 
tions that have been given her, or better yet will it be 
if she can get her superintendent to write a letter 
to the other superintendent in her behalf. Superin- 
tendents are often quite glad to do this, only they 
don't like to do it too often: 

The other class of vacancies, those which are likely 
to occur, may be applied for as follows : First, she 
should decide in her own mind the places in which 
she would like to teach ; then she should write a letter 
to the different superintendents outlining her training 
and teaching experience. Before doing this, however, 
it would be well to ascertain the rules and require- 
ments of the respective school boards ; that is, the 
training and experience necessary to make a teacher 
eligible for a position in that town or city. Some 
places, such as Maiden, Massachusetts, do not elect 
any teacher to the grades who is not a normal or col- 
lege graduate, while other cities equally good require 
a certain amount of experience, but do not nominally 
insist upon normal training. I say nominally, for even 
in these places normal trained teachers receive the 
preference, and the percentage of untrained teachers 
is becoming less and less every year. 

If the letters of application sent out in this way 



48 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

show gross ignorance and unfitness on the part of 
their authors, they will undoubtedly be consigned to 
the waste basket unless they happen to be humorous 
from a pedagogical standpoint. But if they are good, 
or fairly good, letters the chances are they will be pre- 
served, that is, put away in some box or file. Some 
school committees have special application blanks for 
teachers to fill out who wish to apply for positions in 
their schools, and when a teacher writes to a superin- 
tendent asking to be considered as a candidate one of 
these blanks is sent her. 

Now just here is where many teachers deceive 
themselves. They imagine because they have been 
asked to fill out a blank that the superintendent will 
keep them in mind when such an opening as they are 
fitted to fill occurs. So when they have once filed their 
application they think the work is all done. 

Well, what would you do if you were a superin- 
tendent and a hundred teachers applied to you for 
positions this year and each one filled out a blank, and 
next year a hundred more good teachers, and so on? 
Question, would you consult last year's list ? And why 
not? Simply because you would know that a large 
number of last year's applicants would not then be 
teaching in the same schools in which they were when 
they made the application. That is, when the appli- 
cation is received it makes an impression on the super- 
intendent, and if he has a vacancy at that particular 
time for which the teacher seems to be a good candi- 
date there is a possibility of her "arrow shot at a 
venture" hitting the mark. But if the application 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 49 

does not happen to arrive at such an opportune moment 
and it is consigned to the cabinet, where it associates 
with the dead or stagnant applications of innumerable 
other teachers, its fate is not likely to be very different 
from theirs. 

But can nothing be done to remedy this sad state 
of affairs? Certainly. Let the teacher keep herself 
in the mind of the superintendent until she is either 
elected or permanently turned down. One way is to 
keep him informed of her school program whenever 
it is changed; to notify him when there is a change in 
the train service, when the vacations come, and when 
the school is closed by reason of sickness in the com- 
munity. In short, assume that he is interested to visit 
your school sometime, and make it easy for him to do 
this by furnishing him with the necessary data regard- 
ing your schedule, ways to reach the school, etc. Then, 
too, if one is planning to take a course at a summer 
school of any kind, this data should be added to that 
already given on the application blank, and as this 
blank is in the hands of the superintendent the only 
way is to write a letter telling him of the proposed 
course. 

Another way is for the teacher to make personal 
calls upon the superintendents. There is no reason 
for hesitating to do this, as every superintendent 
expects vacancies to occur and is always glad to 
learn of good teachers. Most superintendents have 
special office hours when these calls can be made. 

But the most practical way for a grade teacher 
whose spring vacation comes at a time when other 



50 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

schools are in session is to go to a town or city 
superintendent and acquaint him of the fact that she 
will be glad to substitute until her own school opens if 
he should need her. If he gives her the chance to 
teach in this way, she has the finest opportunity in the 
world to show what she can do, and to establish a 
reputation with the principal so that when a vacancy 
occurs in that school she stands a fine chance of 
having it offered to her if she made good. There are 
always openings along this line, for the duties of a 
teacher in our city schools are so arduous that as 
spring approaches many of them are so tired that 
they give out, and substitutes are put in for a longer 
or shorter time. Agencies find great difficulty in 
furnishing substitutes at short notice, so that any 
teacher who is on hand is likely to get the work ; and 
even though it may not result in her being offered 
a position in that particular school or town, the 
superintendent or principal may be very glad to help 
her with other superintendents by allowing her to refer 
to him when applying for other schools. Help of this 
kind is always very valuable, as superintendents and 
principals are in the habit of suggesting good teachers 
to one another when they meet at superintendents' 
meetings and conventions. By this way of being 
"Johnny on the spot" many a teacher has worked 
her way into a good position, to the amazement of 
agency managers. 

It is the custom in some places to give a teacher 
who has a large room an assistant, and in many cases 
the assistant is inexperienced, or with but very little 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 5 1 

experience. The salary paid is so small that it hardly 
pays an agency to bother much about such a place, 
but a position of this kind offers a fine opportunity 
for an ambitious teacher, for if she makes good she 
will be offered a school of her own, which means 
increasing salary until the maximum is reached. It 
may, indeed, be hard to work for $1.50 a day, but 
it may be wise to do this for a year if it means a good 
position the second year. 

In trying to get a position without the help of an 
agency a teacher should use every means to extend 
her acquaintanceship among other teachers and super- 
intendents. This can be done at conventions and 
summer schools and in other ways. Such acquaint- 
anceship is especially valuable, as principals and 
superintendents are usually very willing to consider 
candidates who are recommended by teachers whom 
they trust. Oftentimes teachers know of vacancies 
not only in their own school or town, but in other 
schools and towns, even before the superintendents, 
and they are frequently willing to help their friends 
by informing them of openings. In this way the 
candidate's letter to the superintendent may come at 
an opportune time and be most effective. 

Then, too, if a teacher carefully reads the daily 
papers with a view to discovering openings she will 
learn of resignations from time to time which she can 
follow up. Of course a great many vacancies are 
filled before the resignations are reported in the papers, 
but in many cases the reverse is true. 

In short, if a teacher uses the same enterprise and 



52 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

perseverance which the agencies use and does not 
"wear out her welcome" by trying for places which 
neither nature, training, nor experience fit her, she 
can undoubtedly secure a school without the help of 
any agency. But whether she can get it soon enough 
by her own unaided efforts to offset the loss in in- 
creased salary which a better school pays while she 
is doing this is another matter. There is such a thing 
as being "penny wise and pound foolish." 



CHAPTER VI 
HOW teachers' agencies help their members 

In the preceding chapter we have shown how a 
teacher can go to work to secure a position by her 
own efforts. We shall now show how an agency can 
help a teacher secure a position, after which we shall 
leave it to the good sense of each teacher to decide 
for herself whether she shall make use of the help 
of the agencies or rely wholly on her own efforts. 

To show some of the ways in which an agency 
can help its registrants, let me cite a few typical 
cases the truth of which I can vouch for, as most of 
them came under my personal observation. 

A teacher enrolled at one of the well-known 
agencies. She was a woman of good personality, 
good training and experience. She wanted a better 
position, and several principals and superintendents 
were induced to visit her school. All seemed favor- 
ably impressed with her work, but none of them 
offered her a position. She could not understand the 
reason for this sudden change of opinion, and came 
to the manager of the agency for advice. 

It happened that the principal of the school where 
she was teaching made a remark in this agency to 
the effect that he would never help any of his good 
teachers to get a position. This was the key to the 
situation. The manager asked the teacher if she had 

S3 



54 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

referred the visiting principals and superintendents 
to her own principal, and she answered in the affirm- 
ative. She was then advised not to do this again; 
and also the next time a superintendent was sent to 
visit her he was "put wise" to the attitude of her 
principal, with the result that she was immediately 
offered a good position. 

A case which shows a different phase of agency 
work is that of a young woman who was fitting her- 
self for teaching by taking post-graduate work at a 
well-known university. She was doing some practice 
teaching when a call was received for which she 
seemed a very suitable candidate. The superintendent 
was to meet teachers in Boston, and she was selected 
as a candidate for the position and was duly notified. 
She replied that she had school work which she did 
not want to lose, and so declined to meet the appoint- 
ment. As it happened that the superintendent came 
from a distance and was to be in the city all day, we 
succeeded in arranging for another appointment for 
the afternoon. 

Then we called her up by telephone and impressed 
upon her the extreme importance of coming to Boston 
and applying for the position, even going so far as 
to offer to pay part of her expenses if she should 
prove unsuccessful in securing the position. She 
finally consented to come to Boston, where she met 
the superintendent and was elected to the position. 
Afterwards she realized that besides the commission 
she owed the agency a debt of gratitude for not allow- 
ing her to throw away a splendid opportunity. 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 55 

Still another example is that of a teacher who 
applied for a position in a neighboring state. Copies 
of her papers were forwarded by the agency, and after 
examining them the committee invited her to meet 
them at their expense, as it was inconvenient for them 
to come to Boston. This she did, and at the close of 
the interview was offered the school. She did not want 
to accept on the spot, for she was also trying to secure 
a position in a school near Boston which she was ex- 
ceedingly anxious to get, as she was a Boston girl. 
She fully expected to learn the decision of the super- 
intendent in regard to the Boston position before the 
time set for her answer to the out of town school 
board, but upon her return home she discovered that 
complications had arisen which postponed their de- 
cision. She was in a quandary what to do, and at our 
suggestion wrote the committee asking them to allow 
her to defer her decision a little longer. This so riled 
the chairman of the board that he wrote us a letter 
in which he said he would not take her under any 
consideration. As she was a woman of fine sensibili- 
ties I did not dare to tell her about receiving this 
letter, for I realized if she knew about it she would 
never go there; so I evaded her questions and hoped 
for the best. In the meantime, however, the Boston 
position was decided adversely to her interests. A few 
days later I was called up on the long distance 'phone 
by the chairman in regard to other candidates for the 
position. Again I called his attention to this teacher's 
peculiar fitness for the place, confessed frankly that I 
had not told her the contents of his letter, and in- 



56 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

formed him that she was still available. This smoothed 
the matter out, the committee was glad that I acted 
as I did, she accepted the place, and when I visited 
the town a year or so later they were most enthusiastic 
about her. She never knew how near she came to 
losing the school. 

During one of his "hunting trips" the representa- 
tive of an agency discovered a grade teacher of excep- 
tional disciplinary and teaching ability. She was then 
drawing a salary of $500 a year. Her name was pre- 
sented to a superintendent where very much higher 
salaries were paid, and he was urged to visit her school 
and see her work. This he agreed to do. But after 
several weeks had elapsed it was found that he had 
not visited her nor sent any of his principals. Her case 
was again brought to his attention, and once more he 
was urged to visit her school. But not until a third 
call had been made upon him did the agency succeed 
in getting him to make the desired visitation. And 
the funny part of the incident is that this teacher 
thought the agency was making too much money 
out of getting her the position, although in her new 
school, after paying her commission, she still had 
over a hundred dollars extra salary, while the cost of 
living remained practically the same. 

One other illustration. A personal friend of the 
writer, now a very successful grammar master, several 
years ago made application for a position, but failed 
of election. So strong an impression, however, did 
he make upon the committee that they kept him in 
mind. So when in the course of time the position 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS *fi 

again became vacant they recalled the favorable im- 
pression he had made upon them, and telephoned the 
agency through which his application had been made 
to ascertain where he was then teaching, and to have 
him meet the committee if he would like to consider 
the opening again. This was a number of years ago. 
He still holds this position. 

Incidents like these can be told ad infinitum, but 
these are sufficient to show that there are things an 
agency can do for a candidate which she cannot do for 
herself. The fact that college deans and presidents, 
principals of normal schools, superintendents of 
schools, and successful teachers indorse the agencies 
is conclusive proof not only that they have come to 
stay, but that they are of real assistance to teachers, 
and therefore no teacher can afford to do without 
their help if she would attain the fullest measure of 
success of which she is capable. 

Of course there are poor agencies as well as good 
ones, just as there are bad and good teachers; but 
the real reason why some teachers fail to get the 
desired help is because they do not do their part, but 
expect the agency to do it all, even, as it were, to 
the making of "bricks without straw." If no replies 
to letters are received from the registrant, if she 
persistently refuses to apply for places which come 
within her capacity, if she places such restrictions 
on the kind of place she is willing to consider as to 
make it impossible to find such a place, if she habitu- 
ally enters the agency with a sour face and a "Well, 
I don't suppose you have anything for me today," if 



58 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

she feels aggrieved at the agency because her lack 
of training or experience debars her from teaching 
in certain places, is it any wonder she can truthfully 
say, "The agencies never helped me"? But if she 
is appreciative of what the manager is trying to do 
for her, if she realizes that he does not make the 
rules and regulations of the various school boards, 
that he is not responsible for the personal preferences 
of superintendents, that he is as put out as she is 
when a superintendent does not keep his appointment, 
or do as he promises, there will be little reason to 
complain of her treatment at any of the good agencies, 
and she will find the advice and help of the manager 
of great value to her, even though he sometimes may 
seem exacting and arbitrary. 



CHAPTER VII 

HOW TO GET THE BEST RESULTS FROM MEMBERSHIP IN 
A TEACHERS' AGENCY 

Having thus "exposed" some of the inside facts 
about agency work and methods, it now remains to 
give a few suggestions in regard to how a teacher 
should go to work to get the best results from her 
membership in a teachers' agency. And in doing this 
let us start at the very beginning and suppose an 
ordinary, every-day case. Miss Brown we shall assume 
to be a teacher in a country school who wishes to 
secure a better position. She writes to one or more 
of the many teachers' agencies which she has heard 
recommended, or whose advertisements she sees in the 
school journal which she takes for their so-called 
"manuals." In a few days she receives this literature, 
and with it comes an application or enrollment blank. 
This document states the condition of the contract, 
worded variously by different agencies, but amount- 
ing essentially to the same thing, viz., that if, through 
the help of the agency, Miss Brown is elected within 
a specified time as a regular teacher, she agrees to 
pay said agency a sum equal to five per cent of her 
first year's salary. If it is the case of a substitute 
position, the percentage is usually somewhat larger, 
but is based only upon the salary she receives for the 
actual time she teaches. Further particulars are given 

59 



60 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

as to the adjustment of this commission should the 
position she takes as a substitute teacher become a 
permanent one, and explanation is made in more or 
less detail as to what is meant by securing a position 
through the help of the agency. 

Now perhaps it is the first time that Miss Brown 
has had dealings with an agency, and consequently 
she does not realize that superintendents frequently 
ask to see the registration forms as well as the reports 
of the references, and so she will quite likely begin 
to fill out the blank without first reading it over. The 
result will probably be that she will make some mis- 
takes, so that when she is through the blank will look 
anything but neat. This is no exaggeration. Again 
and again I have seen registration blanks come back 
soiled, blotted, or otherwise showing carelessness on 
the part of the registrants. 

Discretion, too, is needed in answering the different 
questions. For instance, blanks of some agencies ask 
the teacher to state the lowest salary she will accept. 
In view of the fact above stated that superintendents 
see these registration blanks, it is unwise for any 
teacher to state the lowest sum she will accept, for 
human nature is such that superintendents sometimes 
take advantage of this information in fixing the 
salary. A better way, however, is not to leave this 
space blank for some one else to fill in, but to answer 
the question by a dash. It is all right to confide in 
the manager as to the salary one would be willing 
to accept under certain conditions, but the informa- 
tion should not be made public. And right here I 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 6l 

might add that an experienced manager is in most 
cases a better judge of a teacher's earning power 
than are her friends and relatives. 

Somewhere on every blank will be found spaces 
for names of references. Teachers sometimes think 
it is necessary to ask permission before they give the 
name of a reference, but this is not so if the refer- 
ences are school officials. The references should be 
the names of persons who know about her school 
work and educational training, that is, superintendents, 
principals, fellow-teachers, professors, and teachers. 
In regard to references I may be pardoned if I make 
one suggestion : do not give the name of your clergy- 
man unless he is intimately connected with the school. 
And even then do so with caution. The effect of 
a man's business upon his habits of thought are recog- 
nized by psychologists, and a good pastor dealing with 
men of varied temperaments, whose troubles have to 
be smoothed out without involving himself in any 
way, can write an ideal recommendation of a teacher, 
and at the end of it put in a sentence or two which 
relieves him of all responsibility for what he has said 
and shows he really knows nothing at all about her 
school work. 

As the agencies always inclose return envelopes 
when sending out these "letters of inquiry," most 
of the references respond immediately, and in the 
majority of cases the replies about any special regis- 
trant will be fairly uniform. Occasionally, however, 
it happens that the replies of two references will 
express opinions diametrically opposed. For instance, 



62 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

one reference may speak in the highest terms of a 
teacher; another, to use a slang phrase, declares that 
she is N. G. When such conflicting reports are 
received the agency feels certain that spite of some 
kind exists between certain members of the board, 
and that the one making the adverse criticism has 
personal reasons for doing so. It may be he has a 
daughter who wanted the school, or a son whose 
attentions were obnoxious to the teacher. Agency 
managers are so experienced in reading "between 
the lines" that reports of this kind do not prejudice 
them against a teacher. Furthermore, these discreet 
and "unfriendly" papers have a faculty of becoming 
"mislaid." 

But to return to Miss Brown, who has filled out 
and returned her application for membership in the 
agency, with the customary registration fee. In the 
course of time the receipt of this will be acknowl- 
edged; letters of inquiry will be sent to the refer- 
ences for particulars about Miss Brown, and when 
these are received they will be placed on file accord- 
ing to the system used in that particular agency. To 
keep all the papers of the different members straight 
entails an immense amount of care on the part of the 
agency force. As Miss Brown's references are re- 
ceived they are carefully studied, and in this way 
the manager forms his judgment of her ability and 
decides to what kind of schools he can recommend 
her with a possibility of her being elected. Of course 
no man's judgment is correct in every case, but one 
who has handled papers of hundreds of registrants 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 63 

learns to form accurate estimates of a teacher's ability, 
and the candid advice of a manager should be care- 
fully weighed before exception is taken to it. His 
close study of schools and school conditions enables 
him to tell in many cases to a surety whether a teacher 
who has been successful in one school can be suc- 
cessful in another school. Principals of schools and 
committees have their own peculiarities as well as 
teachers, a fact teachers often lose sight of. Many 
a young teacher has made a failure in a position, not 
because she was a poor teacher, but because she 
accepted a school where conditions were against her 
from the start. 

The filling out of the registration blank and pay- 
ment of the membership fee by Miss Brown, the 
sending out of letters of inquiry to Miss Brown's 
references, and the proper filing of application blank 
and replies of references by the agency constitute 
what might be called Act I in the drama of getting a 
school. The second act is as follows. When a super- 
intendent finds that one of his teachers has resigned, 
unless he already has another teacher in mind for the 
place, he immediately notifies some of the agencies of 
the vacancy and describes the kind of teacher he wants. 
And the agency manager at once consults his records 
and selects what he considers to be the most desirable 
candidates for the place. Sometimes the restrictions 
imposed by the superintendent are so unusual that it 
is extremely hard to find a teacher meeting all the 
requirements. For this reason it is very important 
for a registrant to be specific in her statements as 



64 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

regards her training, experience, and what she is quali- 
fied to teach. Also it is important for her to keep her 
agency informed of every change in her address, as a 
mistake in sending the notice of a vacancy may cause 
just enough delay to mean a loss of opportunity. 

Having made a selection of candidates, the agency 
notifies these teachers, sending them such particulars 
about the position as will enable them to decide whether 
or not they wish to try for the place. The form of 
notice varies with different agencies, but every agency 
expects a reply from each notice it sends a registrant ; 
and if a teacher is to avoid complications resulting 
from belonging to more than one agency, or of trying 
for positions on her own initiative as well as through 
her agency, she needs to be particular to answer all 
agency communications immediately upon their re- 
ceipt. In declining to become a candidate for a posi- 
tion it is often of help to the manager to have the 
registrant state her reason, but in doing so care 
should be taken not to give the impression that one 
is hard to please. 

In deciding what places to apply for, Miss Brown 
should not be too critical, nor should she conclude 
that because she is not up in every subject which a 
special position calls for she stands no chance of 
getting the school. A superintendent or principal 
can frequently change the apportionment of subjects 
which one teaches if he feels that it is for the good 
of the school to do so. But no teacher should make 
a strong application for a place which she does not 
intend to accept in order to get her own school board 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 65 

to increase her salary, unless she is willing to pay a 
commission on the salary she would receive if she 
accepted it, provided the offering of it to her brings 
about the desired increase in her salary in the school 
in which she is then teaching. Some teachers do not 
realize this. 

One other thing which may prove of help to 
Miss Brown is to inform the agency manager in 
regard to replies, or lack of replies, which she receives 
from superintendents to whom she wrote in response 
to notices from the agency. In this way he can often 
advise her what further steps to take, or can cooperate 
with her by again writing the superintendent in her 
behalf. In short, Miss Brown should keep in close 
touch with her agency until she secures a school 
which she accepts. 

Human nature is the same everywhere. As chil- 
dren we plant a seed, and in a few days dig it up to 
see if it is growing. As adults we want dividends 
from our investments at once. Therefore, as soon as 
Miss Brown joins an agency she naturally wants to 
receive notices of a great many vacancies, and is in- 
clined to feel that an agency which sends her only 
an occasional notice is not keeping her in mind as it 
should, when the reverse may be the case. Undoubt- 
edly some agencies get hold of a greater number of 
vacancies than do others, but there is a marked differ- 
ence in the number of notices which different agencies 
send out in regard to the same vacancy; so that in 
most cases it is reasonably safe to assume that when 
a registrant receives a large number of notices from 



66 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

an agency a large number of other teachers receive 
the same notices from that agency. 

There is also a difference in the way agencies put 
their candidates to the expense of taking long rail- 
road journeys to meet superintendents and committees. 
It is so very necessary in most cases to make personal 
applications that teachers should be willing to bear 
any reasonable expense ; but to make a teacher spend 
several dollars for railroad fare when there is small 
likelihood of her securing the position shows lack of 
consideration on the part of the agency. 

In the preceding paragraphs we have shown how 
an agency can do things for a teacher which she 
could not do for herself, and have given a few direc- 
tions which may be helpful to one about to join an 
agency. There only remains now to divulge the 
secret of getting the manager of the agency to give 
one the preference when he makes his selection of 
candidates. And right here I would caution regis- 
trants about trying to get preferred service by offer- 
ing to pay an extra commission; that is, ten per cent 
instead of five. Offers of this kind are sometimes 
made, but they are more than likely to make a bad 
impression on the manager and thus defeat their 
object. 

Some teachers rightly feel that they do not get as 
much out of their membership in an agency as they 
ought to. But the fault does not so often rest with 
the agency manager as in their lack of ability to use 
the manager to their advantage. Why is it that one 
person gets better service at a store than another 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 6/ 

person ? Why do you enjoy trying to help one friend 
more than another? So among the members of the 
same agency some get better service than others 
because they have so impressed their personality on 
the manager that instinctively he thinks of them when 
vacancies occur for which they are at all eligible. 
There is an old saying, "Out of sight, out of mind." 
Applied to agency matters this means that a teacher 
should keep in touch with her agencies. She should 
call occasionally at the agency rooms, should write to 
them from time to time about her work and her ambi- 
tions, and should let them know that she appreciates 
what they are doing for or trying to do for her. In 
short, she should make them like her. Or, in other 
words, she should use the same tact in dealing with 
agencies that she uses in her regular school work. 

In dealing with teachers' agencies there is one last 
suggestion I should like to make. If Miss Brown 
should join more than one agency, as is quite likely 
to be the case, the chances are that she will be placed 
by one of them, although the others may have worked 
quite as hard for her as did the one which actually 
secured her the school; and when she accepts this 
position she should not only notify the other agencies 
of the fact that she has secured a position, but she 
should state where the school is. And it would be 
well, also, for her to add a few words of appreciation 
for the efforts which the unsuccessful agency exerted 
in her behalf. This information will enable the man- 
ager to keep Miss Brown's papers up to date and be 
of assistance in placing her at another time. It also 



68 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

makes him feel more kindly disposed toward her, for, 
after all, agency managers are human and like a few- 
words of appreciation. After working hard for a 
candidate it is somewhat annoying to receive such a 
letter as the following : 

Dear Sir: — 

I have secured a school and shall not need the help 
of your agency any longer. 

Yours truly, 

(Miss) . 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE PRIVATE SCHOOL PROPOSITION 

Discipline, methods of instruction, and duties of 
teachers in private schools often differ materially from 
those in public schools, owing to the difference in 
conditions under which the two kinds of schools are 
operated. 

In the public school attendance up to a certain age 
is compulsory; in the private school it is dependent 
on the will and purses of the parents or guardians. 
The public school is supported by the town or city; 
the private school, except in the case of an endowed 
institution, is dependent for its support on the tui- 
tion of its pupils. This means, on the one hand, 
that unless there are pupils there can be no fund, 
and, on the other hand, that the school is in a posi- 
tion to refuse pupils who seem undesirable. 

In the public schools order must be kept ; in private 
schools order is desirable, but it must be maintained 
as far as possible without giving offense. Public 
schools are not boarding schools, while most private 
schools are of this type, the teacher of necessity being 
on duty night and day. Public schools are made up 
of a cosmopolitan group of pupils from well-to-do, 
humble, and even poor families; the majority of 
private school pupils come from the homes of the 
wealthy or well-to-do, and represent in many cases 

69 



JO SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

different sections of the country, some pupils even 
coming from abroad. 

The private school is preeminently a school for 
the individual. The classes are small, so that each 
student receives a large amount of personal attention. 
For this reason pupils who have failed to keep up 
with their classes, when placed in a private school 
often not only regain lost ground, but frequently 
surpass their former classmates; and those who wish 
to fit for college in a short time can do it more easily 
at such a school. 

This catering to the individual tends to make the 
discipline and methods of instruction radically differ- 
ent from that in the public schools; so different, in 
fact, that after one has taught in a private school 
for a few years it is difficult to secure a public school 
position. It is natural, therefore, to look for a more 
or less distinct type of teacher in each of the two 
school systems. The proprietor of a private school 
is not hampered by the rules and regulations of a 
school board in selecting his teachers. He can engage 
a woman of ability, even though she may not possess 
the frills of a college degree, so that we find in many 
private schools excellent teachers whose training would 
show up so badly on a registration blank as to make 
them poor candidates for public school positions. 

The salary in private schools is often higher than 
that paid teachers in public schools doing the same 
grade of work. But there is another difference in 
regard to salaries which some teachers have unfortu- 
nately discovered. In public school work, while pay- 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS Jl 

ment of the teacher's salary may sometimes be delayed, 
much to her inconvenience, she is sure of receiving 
it in the end, for the debt is incurred by the town 
and must be paid. But if a private school becomes 
insolvent, the teacher may lose the unpaid portion of 
her salary. 

The duties of a teacher in a private school, whether 
of the day or boarding school type, cover a wider 
field than is usually the case in public school work. 
Often there is correspondence to attend to, both from 
parents and from prospective patrons who wish infor- 
mation about the school before entering their children 
or wards. Frequently, too, it is necessary to call upon 
these prospects in order to induce them to enroll their 
children. In some cases this work is done by the prin- 
cipals, but often it is delegated to one of the staff of 
teachers. In boarding schools there is dormitory 
supervision as well as supervision on the school 
grounds, a kind of work which is likely to become 
irksome by reason of the steady confinement which 
it imposes. 

We have stated that the salaries paid private 
school-teachers are often larger than those paid in 
public schools; besides this many private school- 
teachers earn considerable extra money during the 
school year by tutoring pupils out of regular hours. 
In some public schools there are chances of this kind, 
but as a rule private schools offer more opportunities, 
as the pupils usually come from wealthy homes. Also, 
a popular private school-teacher is more likely to be 
invited to act as companion to some of the pupils, 



*J2 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

during the summer vacation, which often means a 
trip to Europe. Owing to the longer summer vaca- 
tion enjoyed by private school-teachers, some of them 
find profitable employment in running summer camps, 
which are now so popular. Twenty-five or thirty 
years ago there were only five or six camps in New 
England. Now there are probably a hundred or 
more, some of them such large institutions as to take 
the entire time of the director, although the camps 
themselves are conducted for barely three months in 
the year. 

In regard to getting a private school position by 
one's own efforts, the best method is to write to the 
schools whose addresses can easily be obtained from 
directories or the summer issues of the leading maga- 
zines. Most agencies do the bulk of their business 
with public schools, but there are some which have 
a large private school patronage; and in working 
through an agency one should be selected which 
makes a specialty of this kind of business. 

After all, it is largely a matter of chance whether 
one goes into public or private school work. When 
a position in a private school at a good salary is 
offered the young graduate, there is naturally a temp- 
tation to accept it without considering what it may 
lead to. One's first position is not often a permanent 
one. In a year or two the chances are that another 
school must be sought. If this first school is a private 
school in the South or West, and the teacher, being 
an Eastern woman, wishes an Eastern position or 
one in public school work, she will find that her 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 73 

teaching experience, however successful it may have 
been, does not count for its true value in new locali- 
ties or different kind of work. In short, after teach- 
ing a number of years in private schools, it is diffi- 
cult to change to public school work, and if the 
change is made it is quite likely to be at a sacrifice 
in salary; so it is wise before deciding whether to go 
into public or private school work to consider the 
matter carefully from all standpoints. 



CHAPTER IX 

THE YOUNG COLLEGE GRADUATE'S OWN CHAPTER 

Many normal graduates secure their first schools 
without the help of a teachers' agency; but with the 
college graduate it is different. Some do, indeed, 
secure positions through their college bureaus, but 
the great majority are forced to rely upon the regular 
teachers' agencies. On account of this fact, and be- 
cause the ordinary college graduate is "different from 
other people," her case demands separate treatment. 

Of all persons to be pitied the young college 
graduate seeking her first school takes the lead. The 
Fates seem to conspire against her. If she has spe- 
cialized in Greek, she finds that it is seldom taught 
in high schools. If Latin and mathematics are her 
strong studies, all the calls include French, German, 
English or history, or some other subject on which 
she is "not up." For four long and happy years she 
has been living under idealistic conditions. Now 
she is suddenly brought face to face with realities. 
She finds that her theories about how things ought 
to be fail to coincide with the way they actually are. 
Things which in college life she considered of vital 
importance, in real life have a different value. She 
feels she is not appreciated and wonders what the 
reason can be. 

Colleges close in June, leaving their graduates 
74 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 75 

stranded upon the vast shore of opportunity. Under 
these circumstances the prospective teacher naturally 
wants to get the matter settled as soon as possible. 
Just here is where a serious mistake is often made. 
There is no work more strenuous than hunting for 
positions, and the new graduate, tired out by the 
functions of the closing days of college, is in no 
physical condition to go through this ordeal the 
moment she receives her degree. What she needs is 
a chance to rest, recuperate, and get in touch with 
real life. Instead, then, of immediately seeking to 
secure a position, she should simply make a call upon 
the teachers' agencies in which she has registered, 
so as to become acquainted with the managers. This 
is quite necessary if she would get the best results 
from her membership, for it is much harder for any 
agency to work for a teacher with whom it is not 
personally acquainted. As soon as she has done this, 
however, she should "hike off to the woods" for a 
rest of three or four weeks. During this period her 
whole aim should be to have a "bully good time." If 
the agency sends her notices of places which appeal 
to her, she should attend to the necessary correspond- 
ence ; but she should not worry if she does not receive 
any replies to her letters, for July is not the month 
when inexperienced teachers are likely to be placed. 

But when the first of August approaches it is time 
for her to get down to business. She should notify 
each agency of her correct address and inform it how 
to reach her by phone, telegraph, etc. She should 
pack her grip so that she can come to the city at a 



j6 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

moment's notice. If she is planning to visit the city 
in which her agencies are located, she should advise 
them in advance, so they can be in a position to make 
appointments for her to meet superintendents. If 
her own home is at a considerable distance from the 
city or not easy of access, and she can arrange to do 
so, it would be worth while to engage board in or 
near the city, so that she can be on hand to meet 
appointments at short notice. As the season advances 
there are a great many "hurry calls," and those who 
are on hand to meet them stand the best chances. 

From time to time it may be necessary to come 
to the city to meet an appointment at an agency, and 
at such times it is a good plan also to call at the other 
agencies. It may seem an unnecessary precaution to 
take, but experience has proved to me many times 
over that it is extremely wise for a teacher in leaving 
the agency rooms to inform the manager where she 
can be reached during her stay in the city, even though 
that stay may be only a few hours. Not infrequently 
a registrant barely leaves the agency rooms before 
some superintendent calls for a teacher to fill a posi- 
tion for which she is exactly fitted. But if she has 
not told how she can be reached, the opportunity may 
be lost so far as she is concerned. 

These two facts, then, the college graduate should 
bear in mind: first, that most inexperienced teachers 
are placed after the third week in July; second, that 
a teacher who looks well and strong and feels rested 
is a far better candidate than one who knows more 
but looks physically worn out. 



CHAPTER X 

HOW TO AVOID AND HOW TO ADJUST COMMISSION 
COMPLICATIONS 

The subject of complications over commissions 
is one of the hardest to treat, but if this book is to 
be of real help it must deal with this as well as other 
business phases of teaching, and deal with it plainly. 
The thought of having to pay twice for the same 
place is disheartening; yet every teacher who joins 
more than one agency knows, or should know, that 
by doing so complications may arise which will make 
this possible. As a matter of fact, however, there is 
little need of being frightened by the thought of two 
agencies claiming commission, for the chances are 
not great. 

We all know that when we take a journey by train 
there is a possibility of being mixed up in a wreck; 
yet the chances are very slight that this will happen. 
But if, before we start, some kind friend narrates in 
our presence tales of railroad disasters, it is quite 
likely to diminish the pleasure of the trip. So the 
effect of this chapter must inevitably be to arouse 
apprehension in the minds of some teachers; but to 
evade the subject for this reason is manifestly unfair. 
So while I recommend teachers to register in more 
than one agency because of the increased opportuni- 
ties it gives, I also wish to state clearly that the time 

77 



78 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

may come when complications will arise because of 
such membership. Usually such complications can be 
avoided by the teacher's using due care, and when 
they actually occur an equitable adjustment may gener- 
ally be effected if a teacher stands firm to have such 
an adjustment made before she pays either agency. 

In order to have a clear understanding about 
double commissions one should understand very fully 
the demands and restrictions sometimes placed upon 
agency managers by superintendents who employ their 
help in getting teachers. 

We have already described how superintendents 
have candidates apply to them through agencies, and 
how the notices of vacancies are sent out to the regis- 
trants, thus giving them the option of applying or 
not applying for the position as they may choose. If 
it were always possible to follow this method there 
would be little chance of complications arising; but 
sometimes superintendents do not want candidates to 
apply to them, but instead ask the agency to recom- 
mend teachers, or to furnish a list of teachers for 
them to visit. Here, too, usually, there is opportunity 
given for the agency to inform the teacher in regard 
to the matter. Occasionally, however, superintendents 
request a manager not to mention the matter to the 
teachers at all, so that it sometimes happens that an 
agency does considerable work for a teacher without 
her suspecting it. 

Again, it is sometimes necessary to place copies 
of a teacher's papers in the hands of school officials 
before word can be obtained from her as to whether 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 79 

or not she wishes to be a candidate, with the result 
that two agencies to which she belongs may be asked 
to recommend teachers and both may send her papers. 
Of course, if she does not accept the position she will 
not have to pay a commission; but if she is elected 
and does accept it, there may be difficulty in deter- 
mining to which agency she is indebted. 

It is the duty of an engineer of a train, if possible, 
to bring the passengers to their destination on time. 
When there is a fog there is danger in running his 
engine fast, but it may be necessary to do this. So 
the agency manager, acting in behalf of the teacher, 
sometimes has to do things without consulting her, 
but if it helps her in obtaining a position she owes 
him for the work he did. 

With this explanation it is easy to see how com- 
plications in regard to commissions can arise; but, as 
we stated before, they can usually be avoided. Agency 
managers intend to be fair, preferring frequently to 
waive claims which a strict interpretation of their 
contract would entitle them to receive. In return they 
expect to be fairly treated by their registrants. When 
difficulties arise, therefore, and claims are made by 
two agencies, the teacher should not ignore or try to 
evade the matter, or write the manager a sharp letter, 
but should seek to find out the grounds on which his 
claim is based. For instance, a letter like this may 
be written: 

Dear Sir: — 

I am much surprised to receive a bill from you for 
commission on my position in , for I was not 



80 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

aware that I was indebted to you. I wish you would 
kindly explain the grounds on which you base your 
claim. Awaiting your reply, I remain, 

Very truly yours, 



It would also be well to write the other agency in 
regard to the matter as follows : 

Dear Sir: — 

I have just received a bill for commission from 
the agency. What shall I do about it? 

In a few days replies from both agencies should be 
received and further correspondence will be deter- 
mined by the nature of these replies. In all the corre- 
spondence the teacher should make copies of every 
letter she writes, and the best way to do this is by 
the use of carbon paper. In writing these letters she 
should be careful of two things: first, to make each 
agency feel that it is her intention to pay her just 
bills; second, to make it plain that she wants the 
matter adjusted before she pays either bill. 

In the settlement of complications over commis- 
sions, a superintendent may often render valuable 
help, for an agency does not like to push a claim 
which is considered unfair by a superintendent with 
whom it is doing business, for fear it may lose his 
patronage. 

Unfortunately some agencies try to frighten a 
teacher into paying by threatening to put the matter 
in a lawyer's hands. As a matter of fact no agency 
likes to go to law over a commission, although some- 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 8l 

times it has to be done in order to get what is rightly 
due. Therefore when such a threat is made, which 
I repeat will not often happen so long as a teacher 
plays fair, instead of being disturbed she should say: 

"All right, Mr. , go ahead on this basis if you 

think you have a good case, but it seems to me you 
will have your trouble and expense for nothing. I 
mean to be fair in the matter, and when you make 
me see that you are entitled to a commission I shall 
be glad to pay it." In case he should get a lawyer to 
write a letter, do not let even that frighten you, but 
go to some man whom you can trust and put the 
matter in his hands, so that future dealings will be 
with him instead of with you. This will save you a 
lot of worry. Preferably such a man should be a 
lawyer, but it is not necessary for him to be one. He 
should, however, be a person of good judgment. 

Naturally it is good policy for the teacher to 
arrange a settlement on the basis of a single commis- 
sion, but in some cases this is manifestly unfair to 
the agencies without whose joint efforts the positions 
could not have been secured. Where a teacher mate- 
rially benefits by her membership in two agencies she 
should be willing to pay for this extra help. In such 
cases, if she will pay a third more than a full com- 
mission, the four-thirds thus paid can be equally 
divided so that each agency will receive two-thirds of 
a commission. In this way each agency sacrifices a 
third, and the registrant pays a third more, which 
makes a fair adjustment to all concerned. 

But disputes over questions of double commissions 



82 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

are not the only ones which arise. The fact that 
agencies often have to work without being able to 
obtain the direct consent of the registrant, as has been 
explained in a preceding paragraph, must sometimes 
inevitably lead to misunderstandings. When this 
occurs, before passing judgment on the validity of a 
claim, the ground on which it is presented should be 
clearly understood. And when it is shown that the 
agency had a hand in securing the position, the teacher 
should pay for the service rendered. 

Agencies mean to play fair and teachers mean to 
do the same. But there are teachers who willfullv 
cheat the agencies, and there are teachers who unwit- 
tingly do so. The great majority of teachers, how- 
ever, are fair and square, and only occasionally is 
there an agency which is not square. 

An example of how a teacher may unconsciously 
attempt to cheat an agency is the case of Mr. C, the 
principal of a grammar school. Through the efforts 
of an agency he became a strong candidate for a 
similar position in another town, and the chances 
looked so favorable for his election that his own super- 
intendent had a long talk with him, during which he 
offered him an increase of salary to remain. Mr. C. 
thereupon withdrew from being a candidate for the 
other position and accepted the offer of his own 
superintendent. 

Did Mr. C. owe his agency a commission? Of 
course he did. If he had not wanted a better position 
he would not have applied for the other school. If 
he had not considered his present position at an in- 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 83 

crease of salary better than the other school he would 
not have remained. And if it had not been for the 
work of the agency he would not have received this 
increase of salary. He was indebted to the agency 
because through its efforts he received the benefits of 
a new position or its equivalent. Just here is where 
teachers are apt to get confused. 

When a man is teaching at fifteen hundred dollars 
a year and an agency helps him to get two thousand 
dollars a year, so far as the commission is concerned 
it makes no difference where this two thousand dollar 
place is. It may seem at first that if he stays in his 
present position at a five hundred dollar increase it 
is not the same as if he went to a new place at two 
thousand dollars; but when one considers that he 
would have continued to teach at fifteen hundred 
dollars were it not for the efforts of the agency, it 
is hard to see why the commission on the two thou- 
sand dollars is not rightly due the agency, nor why 
this commission, amounting in all to one hundred 
dollars, is not a small amount to pay for the five 
hundred, dollar increase in salary. 

In the insurance business as conducted in Massa- 
chusetts there is what is called the standard policy, 
and some teachers' agency managers believe it would 
be a good thing to have a standard agency contract. 
Sooner or later, I believe, such a contract form will 
be adopted, and when it is, provision should be made 
for the settlement of questions involving complications 
in regard to commissions; but the insertion of such 
a clause cannot relieve a registrant from fulfilling her 



84 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

obligation to the agency when she voluntarily receives 
its help. 

"An ounce of prevention," says the old adage, "is 
worth a pound of cure." Complications or disputes 
of any kind are annoying and distract the mind from 
its regular work. It is better to avoid them when- 
ever possible. To do this, as we have said before, a 
registrant should be careful to answer agency notices 
promptly, and not to allow an agency to help her 
unless she expects to pay a commission if elected to 
the place. A careful record should be kept of each 
position that is applied for. This record should show 
how a knowledge of the vacancy was obtained, when 
the application was made, etc. It doesn't make any 
difference whether these records are kept in a book, 
by the card system, or in some other way; but it is 
extremely important to keep them in such form that 
when a notice of a vacancy is received from an agency 
it will be evident at once whether the position is a new 
one or whether an application has already been made 
to the superintendent. With information at hand that 
will enable one to determine this, there is no excuse 
for letting two agencies work for one for the same 
position unless one feels the need of this extra help 
and is willing to pay full price for it. That it is 
sometimes wise to employ the help of more than one 
agency in order to secure an especially desirable posi- 
tion goes without saying; but one agency can usually 
give all the help that is necessary. 

It may be of help to add here a few simple sug- 
gestions about the payment of commissions. Strictly 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 85 

speaking, these are due when the positions are accepted. 
As a matter of fact, a teacher usually pays her com- 
mission after she has earned the money in her new 
position. Some agencies require her to give notes 
which will come due at certain times, while others 
simply rely upon her sense of honor. 

Now, when a position is secured at the close of 
the spring term, or during the summer vacation, it 
will be September or October before the teacher can 
earn any money in her new position, so that an agency 
is often glad to discount the bill if the money is paid 
at once. For instance, suppose Miss Brown is elected 
the last of July to a five hundred dollar position. 
The commission is twenty-five dollars. Even though 
the payment is deferred until the last of October, the 
interest which the twenty-five dollars would earn 
if left in a savings bank for the three months would 
amount to only twenty-five cents, whereas an agency 
will often be willing to discount $1.25, or five per 
cent of the bill, thus reducing it to $23.75. By tak- 
ing advantage of this discount Miss Brown can make 
her money earn five times as much as would be the 
case if it remained in the bank. But better still 
is to have a father or a brother who will enable her to 
take advantage of the discount without encroaching 
on her bank account. 

There is no question of the fact that the agencies 
are doing good work in helping teachers secure better 
positions than they could get by their own unaided 
efforts ; but whether a teacher joins them is voluntary 
with her. There are persons so constituted that they 



86 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

hardly dare eat or drink for fear of being bitten by 
some microbe or other ravishing, microscopic parasite. 
But the majority of mankind still enjoys a square 
meal ; and most teachers are wise enough not to let 
the possible possibility of possible complications over 
questions of commissions deter them from deriving 
the actual benefits which agency membership affords. 



CHAPTER XI 

WHEN SHOULD TEACHERS CHANGE THEIR POSITIONS? 

Many teachers believe that the best vacancies 
occur at the end of the school year. Undoubtedly it 
is true that more resignations occur at this time and 
during the long vacation which follows ; but to assume 
on the strength of this that the summer is the best 
time to make a change is not good reasoning. It's 
the farmer who raises the early berries who gets the 
highest price. It's the teacher who can change when 
the right opening comes who stands the best chance 
of getting the coveted position. 

There is a kind of unwritten law among teachers' 
agencies to the effect that it is dishonorable to try to 
move a teacher before she has taught a year in a 
school, or until the summer vacation. The same 
general rule applies to teachers, and many superin- 
tendents will not consider a teacher who has not held 
her position a year. Besides this, it is the logical 
thing to finish the term, and one term follows another 
with so short an interval of vacation that there seems 
to be no stopping place until the end of the year. 
Thus it is that most of the vacancies occur, as stated 
above, at the end of the spring term or during the 
summer vacation. 

Now the effect of so many resignations being 
crowded into so short a period of time, and the fact 

87 



88 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

that the normal schools and colleges are at this same 
time graduating such a large number of students who 
expect to teach, is to give the superintendent a great 
number of candidates to choose from, and the inevi- 
table result follows that the competition is keen and 
strong. 

On the other hand, when a vacancy occurs in mid- 
term, instead of there being a large number of eager 
candidates the superintendent discovers that it is almost 
impossible to find any good teachers who are available. 
It is the repetition of the old law of supply and 
demand. 

It will pay a teacher to take cognizance of this 
fact and arrange her work so that she can change her 
school in mid-term if the right opening comes. This 
does not mean that she should not apply for positions 
during the summer, but merely that she should not 
look upon the summer season as affording the only, 
or even the best, chance to make a change. 

It is seldom possible to predict when any special 
vacancy will occur, but if we follow the rule of the 
old Farmer's Almanac and write opposite the months 
September to June, "Begin to Expect Vacancies 
about this Time," we shall be sure to hit the truth. 
February is, indeed, likely to be a dull month, but it 
is a short one, and all the rest of the time there is 
something doing. When the schools open in the fall 
an unexpected influx of students may make additional 
teachers necessary. Then in a few weeks comes what 
is known in agency parlance as "the crop of failures." 
The custom in country schools of engaging teachers 



SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 89 

by the term results in many changes for the winter 
and spring terms. As soon as there begins to be a 
feeling of spring in the air, proprietors of private 
schools, realizing that they will soon have to get out 
their new catalogues, know that they must select such 
new teachers as they may need in season to have their 
names printed on their faculty lists; and superintend- 
ents of public schools, in anticipation of vacancies in 
their teaching forces, seek the aid of agencies in mak- 
ing out their itineraries for the visitation of teachers 
who may be good candidates for the positions which 
they will have to offer. Following April come May 
and June, with an ever increasing rush of business. 
Toward the last of June, however, superintendents 
and principals are busy with graduations, and the first 
of July finds everybody tired and in want of a few 
days of rest. 

After July 12 up to the last of August things hum 
with increasing vigor. First come the calls for ex- 
perienced teachers. Then in August superintendents 
who have lost their teachers of one or two years' 
experience must find others to take their places. Not 
many inexperienced teachers are placed before August, 
so that it is wise for the young graduate, as is pointed 
out in another chapter, to take during July a much 
needed vacation, and above all things not to worry 
about "getting located." Even after the first of Sep- 
tember a good many find positions, so that it does 
not pay for any candidate to get discouraged. 

The study of the subject of vacancies is a most 
interesting one, for the filling of one place usually 



90 SECURING BETTER TEACHING POSITIONS 

means the creating of another vacancy. It is a kind 
of puss-in-the-corner game. Only when the vacancy 
is filled by the election of some one not then teaching 
does the game stop, or rather pause, for it does not 
stop, but immediately begins in some other school. 
No wonder that the life of an agency manager is a 
busy one ; for it is necessary for him not only to learn 
the progress of these vacancies, but it is incumbent 
upon him to select the successful candidates before 
rival agencies do this. "Eternal vigilance is the price 
of liberty." The time to get a position is when the 
opening comes. The time to be registered at an agency 
is all the time. 



JUL 5 1910 



One copy del. to Cat. Div. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS % 



022 158 963 4 




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